5 ways to incorporate Quran reading in everyday life

I am a workaholic. At the end of each day of successfully managing a household and work, I pat myself on the back. Let me go through the major, necessary everyday tasks I perform religiously:

Cooking & cleaning: check

Working under deadlines: check

Exercising: check

Praying 5 times: check

Reciting Qur’an: err….

Ah, I admit, this is where I have been struggling. Looking around, I see so many people close to me who work more than me but still manage to recite Qur’an every day. I was intrigued. So, I asked them for some tips. And, here I am, sharing my findings with you.

After Prayers:

Aysha is a recent graduate. She told me that taking out time for Qur’an had been quite a struggle for her. She found her way around it by fixing specific timings for it.

She recommended, “Since obligatory prayers cannot be missed or delayed, you may set a time for Qur’an recitation after them. Choose any two prayers, say Fajr and Maghrib, and recite a page from Qur’an after them. It will not take more than five minutes, and the rewards are huge. Try never to skip it. You will gradually develop the habit.”

This makes perfect sense. We will be in wudu and will just have to add 5 minutes to our prayer routine. Sounds easy, no?

Night-Time Rituals:

My friend, Zahra, is a working lady who manages two shifts of work each day. I enquired about how she manages it and this is what she shared: “I take out a few minutes before sleeping and read the Qur’anic Surahs I know by heart. It takes only a couple of minutes but gives my heart great peace.”

This impressed me. It is indeed a great way to remember Allah after the long day. We never know if we will wake up the next day, so let us have the Qur’anic verses be our last words.

Commuting:

Samia is my friend’s little sister who is a 10th grade student. Among her school, homework, and social activities, Qur’an recitation was taking a backseat. She found the solution. Since she takes a bus to school, she has downloaded a Qur’an application to her phone, and avails the time by reciting Qur’an from it on the way! That’s how you make the best use of technology, isn’t it?

Haroon is a medical doctor who drives to work. He said the he listens to audios of Qur’an recitation while driving. According to him, “these audios help you develop an affinity towards the Holy Words and also improve your Tajweed.”

Go digital:

With technology taking over every aspect of our lives, why should we not take full advantage of it for religion as well?

A software engineer, Salman, reminded me that there are a number of applications on smartphones to help us connect with the Holy Book. Many of these applications have complete Qur’an in Arabic, with such features as translations in almost every language, detailed Tafseer lessons to help us have a deeper understanding, audio recitations, and a lot more. He said that he cannot make it to a physical Qur’an class, so, he has found a way to connect with it through his phone.

Turn to a support group:

Amna, a housewife, believes that motivation is essential. She said, “It is natural that, now and again, we all need motivation. For Qur’an, we have a group of friends on WhatsApp where we share our daily routines and achievements to motivate each other.” She further suggested, “If you cannot find anyone in your circle, there are many support groups online where Muslims help each other connect with the Holy Book.”

The experiences of these individuals are great which I will definitely try to incorporate in my life. Do you have any tips which might help me on my journey?